


A Night of Bloody Tears (part 1)

by Bane_Huntress



Series: The Unwritten Records (VC) [1]
Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-06 03:17:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16380392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bane_Huntress/pseuds/Bane_Huntress
Summary: Louis has gone missing and Lestat couldn’t hear his cries for help, so the rest of the cavern must step in and help find Lestat’s Beautiful One before it's to late for the weaker vampire.This story is part of a group of short stories that were never written as a series, but ended up falling into some kind of order (or not) So they can be read as stand alones.





	A Night of Bloody Tears (part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written back in 2002, and was posted to a Yahoo mail messaging group, back when we had to hide. Also posted on my personal site. But thought it was about time they saw the light of day again ^_^ Hope you enjoy.

**A Night of Bloody Tears**  
Bloody Tears Part 1  
By Bane Huntress  
20,Oct,02

 

Lestat was growing worried, it was almost too close to dawn and Louis had not returned, it was not like his fledgling to be out this late. He felt something dreadfully wrong. He was about to leave when he felt Marius touch his mind.

“Marius?” he answered in half concealed annoyance.

 _“Lestat!”_ Marius”s mind voice said with a worried flavour, _“Are you with Louis? Where is he!”_

Lestat growled, “No” he snapped to both question’s, “He hasn’t come home, I was about to go look for him, it's too early for him to be out.”

 _“Shit!”_ Marius said with almost a snarl.

“Why!?” Lestat shouted through the link, “Where is he! What’s happened?!”

 _“David’s with me.”_ he replied, _“We just heard Louis screaming for help, I fear something happened to him. Where did he go?”_

Lestat froze at this information, “He... He just went out to feed.” He stuttered. “He said he would not be long...”

 _“Damn.”_ Marius replied, “It’s to late for even us to do anything... Lestat.” He said firmly. _“Don’t go out, get some sleep and me and David will be over tomorrow night.”_

“BUT!!” Lestat raged half in panic now, Louis wasn’t strong enough to defend himself against a gang of mortal’s, never mind anything else that might have crossed his path.

 _“NO”_ Marius snapped, _“We can do nothing for him if we have incapacitated ourselves, Sit tight, Please Lestat.”_

He could now feel the light of day seeping over the horizon, and the death sleep was soon to follow, with a snarl he began retreating to Louis room.

 _“Lestat?”_ Marius asked in worry.

“If you’re not here one hour after dusk I’ll look by myself!” he retorted then closed his mind tight as he looked down at the empty coffin.

Since that one night in the shower, every dawn he had crawled into the box to curl up against Louis’s cold form, pulling the unresisting fledgling into his arms possessively.

But tonight he would not open his eye’s and then wait for Louis to revive, Bright green eye’s would not open too him, a smile would not cross that beautiful face at seeing him still there, a soft breath would not touch his face as the other sighed contentedly.

He felt something trickle down his face, as he wiped it away, realized that he was weeping.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

Marius opened his eyes with a deep sigh. He had felt the brat prince’s distress through the link, and he had been surprised at the depth of that feeling.

"Well?" David asked as he sat on a chair across from him, they had both been surprised and then horrified by the strength of Louis cry. So filled with pain and fear, the only word he voiced was the brat’s name repeatedly, the tone begging for the only person in his thought’s that he wanted help from, and the only person that could not hear him.

"He will stay until we arrive." He answered the other vampire. "I leave it too you to keep him from tearing off and doing something foolish."

David nodded, "Can you feel where Louis is?"

Marius shook his head sadly, "I lost him as soon as the cry stopped; I fear we are dealing with rogue vampires here."

David sat back with a deep sigh, "Poor Louis, this is all he needs."

Marius nodded with agreement, "We can do nothing else but find him."

"Let’s just hope we find him in one peace, I’d hate to think of what Lestat would be now without him." David wiped his eyes as he sagged in the chair.

Marius nodded again. "Louis is the only one that can calm Lestat nature, or at least he’s there when he’s finished being reckless..." He sighed again. "I fear if we do not find Louis soon we may lose what we have all come to tolerate and love in Lestat... We may lose him too in more ways than one."

David stood up suddenly with a sigh, "I’ll bid you good night Marius." he said the emotion raw in his voice, as he left for the guest room.

"I’ll contact all I can to make sure they know what’s going on..."

David nodded as he paused by the door, "Want me to see if I can find Armand? Tell him what’s happening?"

"Yes." Marius smiled, forgetting how involved Armand had been with both Lestat and Louis in the past. "Tell him to stay put too; I don’t want to be stumbling over the whole coven in this search."

Then David was gone as Marius concentrated on all those still awake.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

Louis fought his way out of his death sleep, as he remembered what had happened the night before.

He had been chased.

At first they had blocked his path back home, there seemed to be hundreds of them, all weaker than him, he knew, but there were just too many! Constantly forcing him away from the one person who could help him, from the one place he could feel some kind of safety.

He had tried leading them away so he could cut across and double back on himself, but he had finally been forced into the park.

They had surrounded him there, all coming slowly in for the kill. He was weak from not being able to feed; they had found him as he was about to have his first victim.

Then, as one, they had jumped him.

He remembered the searing pain as teeth sank into his flesh; He recalled he had at least taken a few before they had overwhelmed him completely by shear blinding numbers.

As he had struggled, screaming; he had felt his mind explode as a gag was forced between his teeth. He had let his last strength go with that desperate mental cry, hopping someone, anyone, would hear him.

Now he was laid on a cold stone floor, Blackness greeted his eyes when he opened them. He tried to sit up but found his ankles and hand’s had been bound together beneath his back painfully, Cold steal bit into his flesh in the form of thick chain, and to add too it all he was desperately hungry.

It seemed he was laid like that for days with nothing but his panic, before a door finally opened admitting a thin pail light into the room.

He groaned in shock from behind his gag as he saw about six figures all sat in a circle about him, they all looked to be concentrating as in some kind of Buddhist trance.

Then he watched as a short and ugly man came in, he leered at Louis as he stepped inside the circle. Followed by a ragged group of people.

Louis tried to scoot back as the man bobbed down in front of him, but it was useless, his body wrecked with pain.

The man reached out and stroked his cheek in an almost sensual way as he addressed the others.

"This is what our companions gave their lives for." he said in a ruff southern American accent. "This is an old one. His blood, some of you have already tasted, is sweet with the power and age our master lacked; this one will make us strong so we may take the other’s!"

There were cheers and shouts of excitement as the man sat in front of Louis stood up. "But we must be careful." he said in a series voice to the others as the room fell silent.

Louis looked around in panic, they were all vampires and all looked like they had been made not so long ago. And as far as his muddled mind could fathom, they all shared the same maker, which was the reason they were all so weak. Those he had killed were probably the last to be made; the blood would have been thin by then. He guessed there were about fifteen if not more.

Then the man, who was obviously the leader, began his speech again.

"We have all read the book’s!, We know what we are facing here." he snarled as he looked about the group. "We must all lay low until we are finished with this one, one slip and we could all perish! I only picked this one because he is the weakest of them." he turned and emphasised his point by kicking Louis in the chest.

There was an audible snap as a rib gave under the force. Making Louis gasp in pain.

"So feed my fellows! We will be strong!"

Louis only had a second to realize what the man had just said before he felt himself pulled up and fangs sank viciously into his neck.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

**Chapter 2**

 

It was the fifteenth night now that they had searched to no avail. The others of the cover had also looked now, but still no one had found even a shred of a thought from Louis.

David was even out now looking for anything, but most of them had given up on the physical search, but kept their minds open for any sign.

Every lead, however slight, was looked into.

Marius sat watching Lestat now, as the younger vampire lay sprawled on a sofa, He was wearing nothing but black, and had been since the second day, the clothes looked a little worn and he had not changed from them yet, not at all like his normal flamboyant self, he was also extremely quiet as he stared into the fire.

As Marius observed him he noted how he wore the black turtleneck sweater. Lestat was huddled against the back of the sofa, clutching the black material of the neck over his mouth and nose as if trying to hide. One of Louis book’s rested in his lap forgotten. He had also never let go of that book, some modern bit of ‘off the shelf’ literature that seemed so popular and throw away in this age.

"Lestat?" He whispered in concern.

The now dull grey eyes did not look at him as he moved his head slightly in an acknowledging gesture.

"We will find him..." He began, trying to reassure him.

Lestat suddenly glared at him, as he moved the material from his mouth, "Then why haven’t we all ready?!" he snarled.

Marius could feel the raw emotions slip through Lestat shielding, and he could do nothing but blink in surprise. He had never realized just how much Lestat felt for the weakest member of their coven. He had always assumed Lestat loved him as he loved all of them, but this was something much more than that.

"Lestat..." he breathed, "I..."

"Shut up!" Lestat growled as he shot to his feet, the book clutched in one hand. "I can’t just sit here and do nothing! I can’t suffer this much longer!" he shrieked as he loomed over Marius. "What the hell good is all this power if we can do nothing to find one of our own!"

"Lestat calm down!" Marius soothed. "We are doing all we can, you know everyone will not give up until we find him. All of us have our mind’s open to him,"

Lestat suddenly sagged in on himself, clutching the book to his chest like a shield. "But I can do nothing to help him." He whispered as he collapsed to his knees in front of Marius, "I could not even hear him calling for help... Maybe I could have helped him..."

Marius reached out and laid his hand on his head. "There was nothing you could have done..."

Lestat looked up and Marius saw tears in his eyes, "I was going to follow him that night..." He whispered in a harsh voice, "Watch him feed," His face folded in a tight smile of pain. "He hated me watching him... But... We argued, He wouldn’t come to a concert with me the next night so I threatened to burn his book..." Marius noted him clutch the one in his arms a little tighter. "He stormed out, I didn’t follow him... It’s my fault!"

Marius scooped Lestat up in his arms as the other began to sob bitterly, bloody tears streaking down his face.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

Lestat had fallen asleep like that when David came back.

Lestat other fledgling flopped down on the sofa opposite, the look on his face told Marius all he wanted to know.

"He’s still wearing Louis clothes then?" David observed with a razed eyebrow. "I thought you might have gotten him out of them."

"I would if I had known." Marius replied, "What about the book?"

David shrugged, "I think it might be what Louis was reading that night." he smiled wearily. "It still some time’s surprises me that they stay together as they do, I moved out because I could no longer take the argument’s they sometimes had. Or the continues bickering."

Marius hugged Lestat a bit closer to him, "Well he is our brat prince."

David nodded, "A brat he is. I still remember the first time I saw Lestat eye to eye. So full of himself; without a care in the world. What he didn’t say in that book he wrote is how he tried to keep my attention from Louis in the other room."

There was a question Marius had to ask, and he could think of no better time to ask it. "I always wondered, what happened when you turned up as you are now? I wouldn’t think Louis as being too impressed."

David chuckled, "It took me some convincing. But I assume after all they have been through together, he knew Lestat was capable of such a thing. He told me the guest room should be mine, and that he knew Lestat would not be long before returning."

"I would have though Louis a bit more upset." Marius confessed.

David shook his head. "He seemed to just accepted it; I think he knew it was coming, though I can’t say he made me feel unwelcome." he shrugged, "But nether did he care much for my presence."

"What about when you all went to Rio?"

"Apart from Lestat being his normal self, I noted even then he was more protective over Louis, I actually thought when we all split up that he had gone to follow him." he shrugged again. "Even though they never really did anything but argue, or ignore each other, I still found them staring at one another when they thought the other wasn’t looking."

"I imagine you must have been a bit put out by this." Marius mused, "After all, we all hold some love for our maker’s."

David sighed as he looked at Lestat, "I suppose I did, but then just reading their book’s I could tell what they really felt towards each other... Even in Louis book, however much he thought he hated Lestat, you can still hear his love..."

"Poor Louis..." Marius whispered as Lestat stirred in his arms then opened his eyes. "Come, dawn is almost upon us."

The look of grief and sorrow on Lestat’s face almost made Marius weep, as the younger vampire stood.

"David..." Lestat acknowledged, not asking if he had found anything, as he began walking into the hall, his feet almost dragging on the thick carpet.

Marius watched him as he wandered into what he believed was Louis room. He looked at David who shook his head.

"We are loosing him." Was all David said as he stood. "And there is nothing any of US can do to stop it."

Marius followed him to his room where he had placed his coffin. His heart felt heavy as he pulled the lid closed, then drifted into sleep.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

David had gone to Las Angeles to see Armand and Danny, to see if they knew anything. He had been gone two week’s now and Marius feared for Lestat’s sanity.

He didn’t do anything really, just wandered around the house aimlessly or wandered the streets without really seeing anything.

Marius had lost him for a spell tonight as he had watched Lestat hunt. But had soon found him in the cemetery.

As he approached he could see Lestat huddled up against a grave, his long fingers tracing the groove of letters.

With his keen eye’s he saw the name, “Louis de Point du Lac”, the date, obscured by Lestat’s arm, but he didn’t need to see that to know it was there, Louis last mortal reminder to the world.

Marius approached, letting the gravel crunch beneath his feet. "Come Lestat." He said softly, "It serves no purpose being here."

Lestat growled under his breath, not looking up. "Even when we were apart," he said in a soft, all too calm voice. "I knew he was alive, just like I know Gabriel is still around... I knew, some how, some way, I would find him again; win his heart the way I tried before..."

Marius stood silently as he let Lestat talk; there was nothing else he could do in this city of the dead.

"But I cant feel him anymore... nothing..." his fingers traced the letters again. "This may as well be his grave... Do I have to morn over empty soil, just like his mortal family so long ago? Is this my punishment?... Just like he was my eternal guilt? My sorrow?"

Marius shook his head. "You know I can’t answer that one Lestat, and nether can you, non of us can... Thing’s happen, even we die..."

Suddenly Lestat shot to his feet. "Louis didn’t die!" he shrieked, as he faced Marius, "I shell never believe he is dead till I see his ash’s! He would not leave me!" Tears were poring down his face now as he sagged against Marius’s shoulder, "He said he would never leave me... He promised..."

Marius held him tightly and was about to take him home when he felt David touching his mind excitedly.

“What is it?” He asked

 _“Marius... Don’t excite Lestat, but we have found something!”_ David’s mind was full of hope. Something none of them felt since this started.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

_“We found a fledgling vampire, he’s weaker than Louis ever was, but Armand found him. Marius! He stinks of Louis blood! This may be it!”_

Marius sighed in relief. “Don’t get to enthusiastic; I doubt we will find Louis in any fit state, if we find him alive at all.”

 _“I know...”_ David said, _“Get here now! I think our captive will be in the death sleep before you get here, but it leaves us tomorrow to find Louis... However we find him.”_

“We are coming.” he replied then broke the link, eager to be off. He shook Lestat from his weeping. "It seems both our children may have found the best lead we have had in a long time."

Lestat gasped up at him. "Where?"

"LA, David said Armand found a new fledgling, said he smells strongly of… Louis."

Lestat’s eye’s lit up, "We have to go, now!" he breathed, He was about to set off before he stopped, "I have to get something... from the house..." he said then he was gone.

Marius court up with him in his room. He was quickly dressing in some of his own clothes, Blue velvet with a white shirt. Then he darted to his large coffin, throwing the lid off, he took out what looked like a fluffy deep blue throw-over from the bottom, he quickly folded it, putting the book he still carried in the fold’s, and tucked the whole lot under his arm.

Marius just stood and watched till Lestat faced him, a determined grin on his face.

"Come on, there is enough night to get there before dawn!"

Then he was gone again.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

As predicted, as soon as they arrived in LA, dawn was so close the sky was almost red.

Lestat had almost been willing to bear the sunlight, but even he could do nothing against the death sleep.

He was up before everyone as always and he paced the floor of Armand’s apartment. Waiting for the others to awaken. It wasn’t long before Armand, David and Marius joined him.

"So where is this vampire wanabe then?" He demanded.

David stepped forwards, "We don’t want you doing anything rash, Lestat" he said calmly. "We have to get information out of him first.."

Lestat growled at him, "Where is he!"

"I’ll get him” Armand said as he left.

Davis stopped him from following and he growled at his disobedient fledgling till he saw the worry in his eyes. Making him pause, but didn’t he realise that finally there was some proof as to Louis whereabouts!

Finally Armand came back holding a scruffy looking youth. Teeth beard as he was thrown to the floor.

“Stupid brat!” The youth yelled at Armand, not seeing the others, when he did his almost human pallor paled considerably.

“Where is he!?” Lestat stepped forwards as he contained his furry.

The weak vampire backed up on his backside, one hand held up as if to fend off any attack. “Where is who?” he twittered as his wide eyes flicked from one ancient vampire to the next.

Lestat knelt down in front of the youth. “You know full well who I mean…” He snarled as he leaned forwards, “I can smell him all over you…”

David could smell it too. That rich sweet aroma combined with a subtle smell of dust and old books.

Marius put a firm hand on Lestat’s shoulder. “Young one, There is no point denying your involvement to the one we seek, he is in your mind now and all here can read your thoughts…”

David could have kicked himself; he hadn’t thought of that, he opened his mind to the weaker vampires.

Instantly he was seeing through the others eyes.

::An old rickety warehouse on the outskirts of town, There were lots of others, non he considered friend, then an image of his maker and the maker of all those in the dark and musty building. Tall, never coming into any light, always hidden in a hooded robe.

They all feared this one and his high ambitions that he would make an army of them all, then wipe out the old ones and the mortals, that they would rule supreme.

Then there came another more disturbing image, of a form huddled against the shadows in a basement room, fear leaked from this being that had once fought them all and killed a few brothers before he became too weak to resist even the most pathetic of them.

He had drunk the first sweet blood from this being, now it had turned pail and bitter, their master would not let them feed it for fear that it might take strength from it.::

David pulled sickeningly from the vampires mind, one hand over his mouth.

Marius was pulling a fuming Lestat off the screaming youth then turned to Armand, “See to him…” was all he said as Armand complied, taking the youth from the room. There were a few desperate screams then the vampire disappeared from his senses. Then Armand left the building. The young vampire was obviously too young to turn to ash.

“We leave now!” Lestat was shaking, “I will not let this go on a moment longer!”

David could find no argument in Lestat’s command, and neither could the others.

At least Louis had been alive two day’s ago; it remained to be seen if this still would not turn out disastrous.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

**Chapter 3**

 

Marius was the first to get to the room that hung heavily in all the little vampire’s minds.

It was locked with a large padlock; he knew even Louis could brake. With a quick thought the lock fell from the door. Taking a deep breath he throw the door open.

The stench that filled his nostrils was almost nauseating; it wasn’t the smell of human blood but that of a vampires gone bad.

Gingerly he entered the dark room. On first glances it just looked like a room that had not been used in some time, dust hung heavy in the air but could not be as heavy as the overall stench.

What looked like boxes and old furnishers covered in old dustsheet’s lined the walls as if hastily stacked or recently pushed there. Then his eye’s fell on a pile of filthy rags in the centre of a chalked out circle in the middle of the room.

Four candles burned at each corner of it, giving the room it’s only hazy light.

Slowly he approached the rags, unsure of what he would find underneath the all too convenient sized mound. Carefully he bent down and from one end of the rag’s he could see strands of black hair and his heart froze.

With a groaned he pulled the rags away, flinging them against the far wall.

He gave a start and jumped to his feet as he looked in horror at what he had revealed.

What was once the most beautiful, charismatic and weakest vampire of their coven… now lay on his side in a loos foetal position, his pail skin the only thing covering his protruding bones.

Marius knelt down and touched the fragile skin, it was cold and dry to the touch, and the bite marks that littered that flesh showed up in vivid tares and unhealed gouges. Gently he began to brush matted black hair from Louis face, and again he could not suppress the shear gasp of horror of what greeted his eyes. And he had seen many a horrifying sight in his long life that had not turned his stomach as it did now.

Louis lips were as shrivelled as the rest of him, pulled back from his pure white teeth; His eyes were closed but dreadfully sunken. He looked like he was a corpse that had been left in the desert or arctic waists for millennia and about as lifeless.

They were too late; there was no way Louis could have survived this abuse for so long.

He doubted any of them could.

"Oww Louis..." He whispered. "What have they done to you..." He let a sob break his voice.

To his surprise a long bony finger twitched.

Marius gasped in hope. "Louis?.. Can you hear me Louis?"

Another twitch of skeletal fingers.

Marius grasped the hand in relief, but Louis face pulled slightly into the parody of pain, making Marius release it immediately, He tried to touch the young vampires mind but all he got was a deep tormented blackness and one name repeated over and over again, and even that was muted in the unbearable chaos that remained of Louis shattered mind.

He heard someone else coming and realised it was David, he heard the gasp of revulsion behind him then the youngling kneel besides him.

"Is… Is he alive?" David breathed.

Marius nodded, "But barely, where are the other’s?"

"Killing the last of the bastards" David growled as he touched Louis face genially.

"I don’t think we should let Lestat see this" Marius said firmly.

David looked at him with a shocked frown. "But...?"

"Not here... We could take him back to the Hotel... we could make the Ru Royal if we hurry."

"No!" David protested "Can’t you here him? We could do more damage to him, you can feel how weak he is and his mind is so fragmented right now..." he sighed looking back down at Louis, "He need’s Lestat..." he said simply. "I can feel his distress at you and me being here... I think only Lestat and maybe Armand are the one’s he would be more comfortable around in such a state."

Marius knew David was speaking the plain truth. "I fear more Lestat’s reaction on seeing him in such a way... Even going to ground for years would not have such a diabolical effect."

David was just about to reach for the rag’s to cover Louis’s damaged body when they both heard Lestat thundering down the stairs.

"Too late." Marius whispered as Lestat came in the door.

Both Marius and David stood as Lestat approached; his large grey eyes fixed on Louis as his hand covered his mouth. He was trembling a little as he fell to his knees.

"He is calling for you, Lestat." David said softly. “He needs you.”

Marius pulled David over to the door as he grabbed Armand who also arrived at the same time.

Silently they all stood and watched, all helpless to do anything else.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

Lestat could do nothing for a moment as he stared at his beautiful one, broken and lifeless. His mouth was dry as he brushed his fingers over a painfully sunken cheekbone, then across sunken eyes.

"Louis?" He whispered feeling tears begin to seep from his eye’s in a mix of relief and horror. How could anyone do this to HIS Louis? How could anyone try and destroy such beauty?

He felt something touch his knee, he looked down to see Louis’s once so perfect finger’s trying to lift up, Gently Lestat took the hand in his own and rested the bone thin palm against his own cheek.

"I’m here, Louis." he whispered, "I’m here"

There was a movement of the drawn lips, then the teeth opened a little.

"Don’t speak, chere." Lestat said laying a finger over the ruin of Louis mouth. "Nothing will harm you now, I’ll look after you..." He chocked back on a sob as he pulled the shrunken form into his arms.

He pulled the throw-over, Louis had loved so much, from where he had stuffed it down the back of his jeans, and with care wrapped his precious one in it. Trying to give what little comfort he could.

Lestat heard Armand’s intake of breath, then the vampire was besides him, his fingers reaching to touch Louis face, but pulled back at the last moment.

Marius and David still stood by the door as Armand looked up at them.

"I wish we had not killed them all." The shorter vampire snarled, "I would stretch out there miserable death’s!"

"We didn’t..." Lestat said sharply, "I didn’t see their leader!"

Louis moved ever so slightly in Lestat’s hold, and he made a shushing sound.

"Lestat...?" Marius said from the corridor now. "Can you two make it to the Ru Royal tonight?"

Lestat stood then turned, Louis protectively in his arms, "Of course I can..."

Marius nodded once, "Armand you go with them... I fear mine and David’s presence are disturbing him... We will see all the others know and stay out of New Orleans until Louis is well."

"Why Armand?" Lestat fully understood why the rest should stay away. "I can deal with this!"

"No you can’t!" Marius growled, "Louis trust’s Armand too, they were together almost as long as you both were, and also one of you will have to stay with him while the other hunt’s for him!"

Lestat throw a look at Armand, the other vampire just nodded. "Come" he said as he began to take Louis out of the abandoned warehouse that now stank of death.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

**Chapter 4**

 

Lestat laid Louis out on his bed carefully, afraid that at any moment he would somehow break the paper-thin skin or shatter a fragile bone.

It hadn’t taken them long to get back with Lestat flying, Louis in his arm’s and Armand clinging to his back.

"There is still some night left." Armand whispered, "I’ll go get something for him..."

Lestat barely acknowledged him as he began to unwrap his beloved fledgling from the throw over.

He hadn’t noticed before all the bite marks and rips in Louis fragile skin.

They had drained him of everything and not fed him in return.

He snarled again at what they had done to him, but Louis stirred and his hand feebly reached for him.

"Shhh... My beautiful one" he whispered, "I will see you as you once were, my love."

Using his power he turned the tap’s on in the huge bath and carefully picked his fledgling up.

Louis stirred again, a dry rasp left his throat, as he stiffly moved his head into Lestat’s shoulder.

Lestat carefully laid Louis in the warm water and ever so softly sponged the filth away from the marble white skin; on some of the worse wounds Lestat could see bone. But no blood flowed into the water or seeped from the horrible wounds.

Lestat knew there was one quick way to get his fledgling back to his old self, or something more. But he also knew Louis would never forgive him if he forced it.

He desperately wanted to force the subject right now, but he couldn’t, he would not loose his love again, and especially not to something he did, even if it was saving his immortal life.

"Louis?" he said softly until he got the smallest of responses, a slight turning of the head. "Louis, I’m going to give you some of my blood..."

There was an audible groan, something like that of air rattling over brittle paper and the head turned away a little.

"No, Louis. Listen to me!" he persisted taking Louis face in his hand’s even though he knew his fledgling couldn’t see him. "Please Louis, I only want to give you enough so I know I won’t loose you during the day! I swear to you I will not give you more unless you are able to ask me yourself!"

There was a subtle loosening of shoulders as Louis gave in.

"I promise you. No more than you need..." Lestat said again as he brought his own wrist to his lips, slashing it open easily he pressed it to what was Louis mouth.

He gasped in slight pain as he felt Louis sharp teeth gnaw weakly at his flesh, but the other vampire drank thirstily as best he could with a dry paper like tongue.

Lestat kept a close eye on Louis and some of the more nasty wounds.

The water in the bath began to be tinged with red as vanes carried Lestat’s blood through parched flesh and finally white, dry skin began to try and heal it’s self.

Lestat pulled his arm away. Hopping that he had not given Louis too much, just enough to see him on his way to healing.

He let the water out the bath and then rinsed Louis off with the showerhead. Already miner injuries were disappearing but not fast enough to ease Lestat’s heart.

He had also gained a bit of flesh, only enough so that his bones were now vaguely covered by something other than a thin layer of skin.

He was carrying his fledgling to his room when Armand showed up. He was holding by the throat a rather large cat and what looked like a bag of rat’s that thrashed about in their confines.

"I thought about getting a mortal." He said matter of fact. "But I thought it might be too much for him to handle at this time." He glanced at Louis and a look of pain crossed his angelic face for a moment. "Has he woken?"

Lestat bit down his jealousy and nodded. "Only for a moment... Come, he need’s that cat." he said disdainfully, but he knew Armand had been right in getting what he did. Tomorrow he would hunt out a mortal if he had to.

 

\--oO(X)Oo-

 

**Chapter 5**

 

Day’s passed into a week and still Louis only roused when either Lestat or Armand slashed the arm of a mortal they had seduced. And once he had eaten, collapsed into an unholy slumber.

Lestat sat on the side of the bed where Louis lay during the night, and stroked long black silky hair.

Louis almost looked himself again, His lip’s covered his teeth now and his eye lids now looked as if there was something beneath, though he had not opened them yet.

Armand was out, he had left after bringing the pretty mortal for Louis then he had gone in the pretence of getting rid of the corpse. Lestat was relieved he was alone now. Though he had to admit, at least to himself, that Armand had been of help to.

"Will you not wake?" Lestat final whispered to the sleeper, Desperate just to see those eyes again, those same eyes he had fallen in love with over two hundred years ago.

"Even for me will you not wake?" Lestat felt tears in his eye. Quickly he stood, there was no use just sitting here, there was a new CD he had been meaning to listen too.

With a flourish he left for the front parlour.

He had forgotten the time as he listened to his music and he felt someone enter the room, he didn’t look up expecting it to be Armand back from his wandering.

Instead, whoever it was bumped into the sofa he lay on. He looked up in annoyance ready to give Armand a piece of his frustrated mind.

Instead his eye’s looked upon Louis above him.

Lestat stood up instantly.

Louis was shacking badly, though his beautiful green eye’s never left Lestat’s as he helped him to sit down, then swiftly sat next to him.

"You should have called." Lestat chided gently. He could not take his eyes from Louis own, they were dull and almost lifeless, but at least they were open. "You should still be sleeping. Chere."

Louis gave him a look of complete loss, "Wa..." his voice was dry, "What happened?" He looked away suddenly. "I... I can’t remember." He shivered violently as he wrapped his arms around himself tightly. "Dark... Cold."

"Shhh..." Lestat said as he held his fledgling tightly. His heart broke at the shear look of despair on his beloveds face. Even after all they had been through, he had never seen Louis look so lost. "I won’t let anyone harm you now, my beautiful one. Shh..."

Louis buried his face in Lestat’s shoulder. "I... I recall I was grabbed... I remember thinking it was you and one of your jokes!" he shivered again, his hands clinging to Lestat’s shirt as if he were falling. "I remember fighting but they were to strong for me, I called your name but you never came!" Suddenly Louis pulled at him, his green eye’s wide, almost accusing. "I... I thought after what I said you would have followed me... but you never came!"

Lestat felt the tears fill in his own eyes. Guilt tugged at his heart. "I knew I should have, Louis..." he said hearing his own voice crack. "I would have if you had not left in such a mood, I though you would hate me if you court me!"

Suddenly Louis frowned; his lips trembled in a most human way. "I could never hate you..." he whispered, "Not now... I never really did…"

Lestat took Louis face in his hands and laid a soft kiss on his forehead then on his eyelids. Then moved down to his lips where he lingered a bit, pressing flesh to flesh and nothing more.

Then he moved his face till he could whisper into Louis perfect ear, "I’ll never leave you again... No matter what you say..." he felt a bloody tear fall down his cheek and into Louis hair. "I’d rather have you accusing me of being there, than not, when you need me. My most my beautiful one." He kissed the ear then pulled away till he was looking back into Louis dull green eyes once again. "Come... Do you wish to rest here on in the bed?"

Louis was biting his lip, obviously fighting back the tear’s he wished not to shed. Then he looked away his body slumped against Lestat’s side as he gave a sigh of exhaustion. "Here." he murmured as he laid an arm over Lestat’s thighs.

Lestat held him as tightly as he dared, then with a thought sparked the already laid hearth into life. Soft oranges and yellows filled the room, as it became only source of light.

Before long Lestat felt Louis relax completely as he drifted into sleep.

He whispered soft nothings into Louis hair. Hopping that his fledgling would take some solace from it, just knowing he was safe and warm and loved and home.

It was like that, when Armand found them some time later.

Lestat looked up and met the other vampire’s steady gaze with one of his own. Neither of them said anything. But Lestat noted the quick glance Armand gave Louis and a hint of regret on his friends face.

"He shouldn’t be up." Armand said in a quiet voice.

Lestat nodded as he hugged Louis to him a little more protectively. "He came here by himself."

Armand nodded as he sat down on one of the plush chairs. His eyes never leaving Louis. "Then he is coming around?"

"I should hope so..." Lestat smiled, "It’s eternally boring without him to be displeased with me."

Armand looked back up at him then, his angelic face nothing but a mask of hard marble. "You should not be so harsh on him constantly..." Then a smile appeared on his lips. "After what happened here so long ago and he coming to me, I though you would have been more lenient with him."

Lestat hissed at him, knowing the other vampire was only trying to rub that awful time in Paris in a little more. Though he felt no malice in it, but it annoyed him anyway.

Louis suddenly gasped in his embrace, then he sat up a little, but did not try to brake free of Lestat’s hold on him.

Armand sat forwards in his chair, "You awake, Louis?"

Louis blinked at him then smiled a small smile and nodded.

Lestat smoothed some wayward strand of thick black hair from green eyes that looked a little more alert. “Are you hungry my beautiful one?” Louis was still painfully gaunt, and some of the wounds and protruding bones still bothered Lestat.

Louis didn’t shy away from his touch, which was something in its self. But he winced at what was mostly a simple question.

“If you wish I or Armand could go get you something else this night, or if you want to go out, I will be with you always.”

Louis sat up a bit, pressing his side against Lestat’s. A subtle gesture of fear that Lestat didn’t miss crossed his features.

“I could take a walk…” Louis said haltingly with a tremble.

“You should not strain your self, Louis.” Armand said with something close to a disapproving glare. “Lestat should have seen you back to your rest… Come, I will take you there.”

Lestat felt Louis stiffen suddenly. “Maybe I could just stay here for a little while longer?”

Lestat caught his breath when green eyes looked up at him with such pleading. “You may do anything you like,” He smiled down at his fledgling.

Louis seemed to settle a little, and Lestat couldn’t help but cast Armand a smug smile. He would have to ask the other vampire to leave if he made HIS Louis uncomfortable.

He doubted Armand would like the prospect much, but it was in Louis best interests, so there was no way he would take no for an answer… Well, not that he ever had.

Armand just returned a cool look then left.

Lestat felt Louis relaxed again.

“You really should be asleep.” Lestat whispered into his ear.

Louis seemed to cuddle closer, then he mumbled something inaudible into his shoulder.

Lestat smiled as he easily picked Louis up in his arms.

He swiftly made his was to Louis room but when he tried to lay Louis down he only clung on tighter.

“What is it mon’cher?” he asked softly, slightly confused.

“I don’t want to be alone…” Louis muttered.

“I’ll stay here until the death sleep comes.” Lestat said and he couldn’t help the smile that came to his lips.

Louis shook his head. “No… Please.”

Lestat didn’t miss the slight embarrassed over tones and something inside him warmed to the confession that Louis was letting past his stoic guards.

“We will sleep in my room then,” He said making his way across the hall, then laid his fledgling out on the bed.

Even though he had taken Louis into his coffin every night since they had found him, he had half feared that now he was fully conscious that Louis would want to be alone to brood, to think, to get over all that had happened to him.

Now he opened his coffin then went back to his beloved fledgling. He lay on the bed with his silken black hair fanned out on the pillow. Lestat couldn’t help but to compare him with that of a dark angel, who’s wings had been cut, now so lost and alone with only him for protection and comfort.

His mental image was so strong that he felt tears come to his eyes again.

To see his Louis, his beautiful one reduced to this was more than he could take. Louis may have been a weak specimen of a vampire but his enduring will and resilience had made him stronger than the entire coven that now existed. This once so proud and independent immortal brought down to begging for company.

However much Lestat’s heart warmed and had yearned for this, it was at too higher a price to have to pay.

Louis stiffly sat up and looked at him with worry in his green eyes.

“What is it Lestat?… What’s wrong?”

Lestat sat down on the bed, cupping Louis face in his hands as he smiled. “Nothing,” he whispered.

Louis shook his head as he held Lestat’s hands in return.

“I… I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.” He said so quietly, “I would take it all away if I could, take all your pain away…”

Louis smiled then as he rested his forehead against Lestat’s shoulder. “Not even you can change history or time, Lestat”.

“I can try.” Lestat smiled as he held Louis close, he could feel his Beautiful one growing heavy in his hold, and knew he had to get him settled.

Carefully he picked Louis up and they lay down in the large coffin together. Louis pressed as tight up against Lestat as was possible; his head tucked in-between Lestat’s chin and shoulder.

“Sleep well my Beautiful one…” Lestat whispered as his heart sang a little.

Louis stirred, then he fell silent and still, Lestat hated it when he stopped breathing, but he would be there when he finally took his first breath of the night and he knew all would be well again.

He hugged his fledgling a little closer, burying his nose in Louis soft scented hair, he drifted off into a mortal sleep.

 

The End

**Author's Note:**

> Well hope you liked and I really love comments… I’m just vane that way :P


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